Wheels for the World: Henry Ford, His Company, and a Century of Progress by Douglas G. Brinkley, Penguin Books, ISBN: 978-0142004395

In Detroit, during the 19th century leading into the 20th century, there were a total of 125 auto companies that emerged up, only so few were able to continue its operations long term, only so few experienced some growth, only one automotive company quickly rose to the top, only one automotive company acted as the heart of Detroit’s economic body, and that automotive company is called Henry Ford Motor Company.

Detroit was what many termed an “industrial landscape”; for a period of time Detroit was an automotive industry epicenter, at the peak of Detroit’s progressive era more than 90,000 were employed, statistically speaking 1 in every 6 working Americans were employed by the automobile industry (Ford Motor Company), a bevy of small factories were birthed that made all sorts of car parts, Detroit’s automotive growth extended from Detroit, throughout Michigan, and to the Midwest region, the Detroit economy boomed after World War II which attracted large masses of labor to fill the assembly lines.

Ten Millionth Model T come off the line: The 10 millionth Model T was produced on June 4; famed Ford racing driver Frank Kulick drove it from New York to San Francisco on the Lincoln Highway, the only coast-to-coast highway at the time. From the collections of The Henry Ford and Ford Motor Company.

Well……What happened? How did the Detroit economy go from an uphill to a downfall? How did Henry Ford let this happen? How was Detroit effected by this?

What Happened: Henry Ford was an innovator, a craftsman, a designer, a visionary, and he loved his work but the demands of the people began to change, tastes and preferences changed, the introduction of the European compact car became available, popularity shifted, Henry Ford made the decision to adjust the size of his cars but Henry Ford also made the decision to not improve the features of his cars to meet the taste and preferences of the people. In the midst of this shift in demand and market change, Ford was also restructuring its operations by decentralizing its production and in result small auto manufacturers moved out the city, Ford embraced technology and in result the assembly line had been replaced by large automatic equipment, over 100,000 jobs were lost, depopulation took its course, and disinvestment hemorrhaged the city of Detroit.

Uphill to Downfall: Socially, Detroit was the center of blame by the American government because Ford Motors had been targeted for the air pollution, safety issues, and the inflated fuel economy; the second oil crisis in the Middle East resulted in a great rise of gasoline costs which greatly lessened America’s infatuation with the automobile.

The effect: Jobs were scarce, poverty and violence rapidly occurred, the auto industry shifted towards globalization, the population plummeted, Detroit had become somewhat abandoned by Henry Ford and automakers alike.

How did Henry Ford let this happen?

The Connections

Detroit experienced a period of wealth from industrialization of the automobile industry which had progressed the city greatly but it has equally damaged the city’s economy also, Detroit was the center of production, Detroit was an industrial powerhouse, and now the city has lost its foundation. In the 1900’s the entry of foreign cars into the market was fostered by the government which has costed a city like Detroit, auto companies couldn’t compete within U.S. boundaries because of the costs and this has resulted in the loss of countless jobs, now Detroit is the center of economic decline and recovery.